Legend has it that mountain man Peter Wright, snowbound in a cave for four days, resorted to eating part of his moccasin for sustanance. Thankfully, before he had consumed all of his footwear, a deer ambled by. He promptly shot it and made a meal out of raw venison. He returned home safely, most likely with very cold feet. A recent trip […]
Mother’s Agonizing Childbirth Made Disbelievers Out of Some Thompson Boys
Anne Marie Boyce attended church at least once every Sunday. She often went to prayer meetings on Wednesday night. She regularly cooked dinner for ministers. She was steadfast in her faith. But when this “invalid” woman who suffered from Bright’s disease was screaming out in agony during the birth of her 10th child, God was a […]
William Thompson Remembered for Strong Personality Flaws
William Thompson was a very practical, honest, hard-working man. But he also had some some annoying personality quirks, friends and acquaintances weren’t impressed with his looks, and his children were scared to death of him. That’s the very mixed portrait of this great American pioneer that emerges from interviews done 80-odd years ago with the people who knew him. The sometimes snarky reminiscences […]
J.R. Boyce Pays Tribute to Dead for Benefit of Living
James R. Boyce was a real sweetheart, a deep believer in the nobility of womankind. The one-time major in the Confederate Army, who became a merchant in Virginia City, Montana, wanted to make sure that his ancestors knew the great stock from which they came. So he left behind an incredible letter addressed to his children and […]
Annie Maria Boyce Lived a Hard Life
Only five of Annie Maria Boyce’s 10 children lived to adulthood, and ill-health forced her to spend summers in California, according to letters left behind by her son, Joseph Edward Thompson. Like many Western pioneers, Annie Maria Boyce lived a hard life, though she was steadfast in her faith and a great inspiration to her children. […]
Visit to Boyce, Virginia Leaves One With More Questions Than Answers
It’s not often that you see a town that bears a unusual family name. That explains the more than passing interest in visiting the town of Boyce, Virginia, located only a two-mile drive from Washington D.C. Nevertheless, a trip to the former railroad town this weekend, though it satisfied my curiosity, left me with more questions than answers. A commemorative plaque in […]